Man shot dead in National Liberation Army feud

A man shot dead in Belfast at the weekend is believed to have been the fourth victim of the latest feud within the Irish National Liberation Army.

Desmond McCleery, 37, was singled out by a gunman as he sat in the Chicago Pizza Pie Factory on Saturday afternoon. He attempted to run away but was shot in the back and in the head. The killing was witnessed by a large number of staff and customers, including children. The gunman left the scene, then returned to wipe his fingerprints from a door handle.

McCleery, 37, of Lurgan, Co Armagh, was said to be the second-in-command of one INLA faction. The feud began in January when Gino Gallagher, the INLA's reputed chief-of-staff, was shot dead by a member of a rival faction in a Falls Road dole office. The Gallagher faction yesterday claimed responsibility for killing McCleery, alleging he had been involved in the murder of Gallagher.